Description:
The Soils Engineering for Practical Applications Workshop is a basic geotechnical course which will provide practical knowledge for both generalists and those needs to upgrade their knowledge in geotechnical design field. Each theoretical concept presented will be linked to practical applications in the geotechnical engineering area.
The purpose of this workshop is to familiarize participants with the application of basic soil mechanics principles to the design and analysis of simple geotechnical structures including: earth works , bearing capacity of shallow foundations, soil retaining structures and slope stability. In addition the theory of consolidation and practice of site or ground investigation will be discussed.
The course objective is to impart to the participants the necessary knowledge and skills to determine the minimum level of geotechnical effort needed on an engineering project and /or how to deal with geotechnical information/personnel on a given project.
The participants will develop knowledge and appreciation of geotechnical activities in all project phases and understanding of different soils and how they behave.
No prior knowledge of the subject is required; the course content follows a simple starting level into advanced level that will be built step by step in class. The concepts presented in each lesson are concise and specifically directed at a particular practical operation in the geotechnical design process.
Recommendations are presented on how to efficiently layout borings, how to minimize approach embankment settlement, and how to transmit design information properly to construction. Basic examples are included in several lessons for hands-on knowledge.
OBJECTIVES
Course objective is to impart to the participants the necessary knowledge and skills to determine the minimum level of geotechnical effort needed on an engineering project. A high level of interaction between the expert instructor and the students will be used to facilitate the development of knowledge and skills in basic geotechnical concepts and analyses. Upon completion of the course, the participants will have demonstrated learning of the following:
Knowledge of the minimum level of geotechnical input in various project phases of an engineering project,
Knowledge of the equipment and procedures used to implement a subsurface investigation of soil and rock conditions,
Knowledge of the basic soil test procedures and application of soil test results,
Knowledge and basic skills in procedures used for determining bearing capacity and settlement of spread footing foundations,
The interpretation of field and laboratory test data and derivation of meaningful parameters for geotechnical design * Knowledge of the format and minimum content of an adequate foundation report.
Methodologies of soil classification and property testing, basics of clay mineralogy
Concepts of pore water pressure, effective stress and capillarity and their implications on soil behaviour including swelling, shrinkage and frost action.
One-dimensional settlement and consolidation
Concept and measurement of soil shear strength
Design implications of consolidation, flow, settlement and shear strength and how the basic concepts can be applied in engineering practice.
Introductory analysis of lateral earth pressures
Target Audience
This course is geared to practicing engineers, technicians and technologists who routinely deal with soils and foundations problems. No theoretical background is required in soil mechanics or foundation engineering although computational skills are necessary for the design sessions.
The categories of personnel at all engineering levels who could benefit from this workshop include drillers, Non-soils engineers , Industry tech/sales, representatives , Public works professionals , Engineers-in-training, Project engineers and managers, Architects and landscape architects , Geologists and earth scientists , Civil and other engineers, geotechnical, bridge design, highway design, structural engineers, construction engineers, contractors, owners, or any professional involved in the design, construction, inspection, testing, maintenance and specification of foundations. The greatest impact will be achieved by convincing structural, design, and construction engineers to use procedures from this course as a guide for routine geotechnical work. One of the major benefits of this course is to give engineers an appreciation of activities outside their specialties that influence, or are influenced by, the work of the geotechnical engineer.
Workshop Benefits
Obtain a working knowledge of soil behavior and many of the basic concepts of soil engineering
Learn to know when and where you need soil tests and what types, how to correctly interpret soils reports, what field conditions are unsafe for personnel, and other important considerations
Understand soil compaction and use of geosynthetics in earthworks
Be prepared to continue on your own with further study of soil and ground engineering
Become more effective in your job...whether working on projects with soil construction or working in a support capacity in geotechnical engineering practic
At the end of this workshop a participant will be able to:
Define what constitutes an engineering soil
Explain why different clay minerals exhibit different degrees of activity for example swelling characteristics
Describe the fundamental properties of soil particles that are of importance in engineering (mineralogy, shape, size and texture) and their basic influence on soil behaviour.
Classify soils according to the Unified classification systems.
Relate the meaning and importance of the plasticity or Atterberg limits in soils and have a general feel for typical values of these indexes in soils.
Calculate and use all the phase relationship formulae in dry and fully saturated soils.
Define the term pore pressure and calculate the pore pressure distribution with depth under hydrostatic conditions.
Calculate the coefficient of permeability for soils.
Calculate hydraulic gradients using Bernoulli's equation for simple seepage flow problems.
State Darcy's law and calculate seepage rates and quantities for one dimensional flow.
Calculate flow rates and quantities in homogenous and isotropic or an-isotropic soils by making use of flow nets.
Calculate the pore pressure distribution and stability against uplift of hydraulic structures as well as the potential for seepage erosion at the downstream exit.
Recognize how stresses are distributed in a soil mass due to external and internal loads and be able to calculate these stresses.
Recognize how settlement occurs in soil and be able to calculate settlements based on varying loading and soil conditions.
Explain how strength is classified and quantified in soils and how those strength values are used in design.
Course Organization
The course will be presented by Dr. Gamal Abdelaziz, Ph.D., Senior Geotechnical Engineer (Who has over 25 years of practical and academic experience in soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering) using a Participant Workbook, a Reference text book, and various visual aids such as slides, transparencies, computer projections, and similar tools. Recommendations are presented on how to efficiently layout borings, and how to transmit design information properly to construction. Reference text book will be referred to from time to time during the course so that the participants can become familiar with its contents. All related American standards and practice codes will be consulted through the course duration.
The Participant Workbook is intended to be a set of copies of visual aids and student exercises that closely follows the presentations being made by the instructor. The student exercises are designed to promote the interaction in the classroom, and to illustrate the basic principles and analyses.
COURSE CONTENTS
Introduction to the Soils Engineering Workshop
General Overview of the Geotechnical Input to Engineering Projects
SUBSOIL EXPLORATION
Purpose of soil exploration
Subsurface exploration program
Exploratory borings in the field
Procedures for sampling soil
Observation of water tables
Vane shear test
Cone penetration test
Preparation of boring logs
Geophysical exploration
Subsoil exploration report
Interpretation of soil parameters for foundation design
Shallow foundation types and foundation level selection
Hands-on student exercise problems begin - bring calculators
Introduction to Soil Testing
Review Foundation Design Objectives
Discuss Processing of Soil Samples in Lab
Visual Soil Description System
Mock Lab Demonstration of Test Methods
Discussion of Lab Exercise
Selection of Soil Design Parameters
Basic characteristics of soils
Identify basic soil groups
Measure grain size distribution
Measure soil Atterberg limits (PL, LL and PI)
Classify soils based on the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
Calculate soil properties using phase relations
Describe the principles of basic field soil sampling methods
Soil Compaction
Perform compaction tests
Draw theoretical and experimental compaction curves
Calculate the optimal water content and maximum dry density of a soil
Describe typical engineering applications of soil compaction
A One-Point Moisture-Density Relations Test for Soils
How to empirically develop the optimum moisture contents and maximum dry density for clayey soils
Seepage
Describe the concepts of the soil water and pore water pressure Use Darcys law to calculate the steady-state 1D flow Measure hydraulic conductivity and describe typical hydraulic conductivities of gravel, sand and clay soils Calculate the basal stability of excavations in soil Draw flow-nets under steady-state 2D flow conditions and use them for engineering applications, including (1) calculate the flow velocity in isotropic and anisotropic soils, (2) calculate the pore water pressure at any location in soil and (3) calculate the uplifting force due to seepage.
Pore pressure, effective stress and capillarity
Calculate the effective stress in soil Calculate the capillarity rise and recognize its influence on soil behaviour in engineering practice Describe the impact of frost action and identify frost susceptible soils.
Stresses and displacements
Describe the soil stress-strain relationship Calculate the stress distribution in soil due to surface loading based on the elastic theory Calculate the stress distribution in soil due to surface loading based on the empirical method Calculate the soil displacement due to surface loading based on the elastic theory Describe the relationship between horizontal and vertical stresses in soil and calculate the horizontal stress in soil knowing the vertical stress
Settlement and consolidation
Describe the components of soil settlement
Describe the soil compressibility
Calculate immediate settlement of soil
Perform consolidation tests
Calculate the preconsolidation pressure, compressibility, coefficient of consolidation and stiffness of soils from consolidation test data
Perform design calculation for the final settlement of soils
Describe Terzaghis one-dimensional consolidation theory, including assumptions made during the derivation
Calculate the degree of consolidation and degree of settlement of clay soils using analytical and finite difference solutions
Describe the concept of secondary consolidation
Describe the design implications of soil settlement.
Shear Strength of Soils.
Define the soil shear strength for short and long term conditions
Use Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion to define failure in soil
Describe the shear strengths of sand and clay
Describe the peak and residual shear strengths of soils
Measure the shear strength of sands and clays in lab and in-situ
Describe the design implications of the soil shear strength.
Slope stability
Define the slope stability and factor of safety of slopes
Calculate the factor of safety of infinite slopes for long and short term analyses
Calculate the factor of safety for planar failure surfaces
Conduct short-term slope stability analysis using the stability chart
Describe the method of slices to calculate the factor of safety of earth slopes
Describe principles and procedures of using computer software for slope stability analysis
Describe the implications of slope stability with respect to the design of soil slopes.
Retaining Structures
Forces on Retaining Structures
Stability of Walls and Sheet Piles
Allowable Bearing Capacity
Tilting and overturning
Ultimate Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundations
Introduction
General bearing capacity Theory
Effect of Water Table on Bearing Capacity
Bearing Capacity from SPT and CPT Testing
Bearing Capacity of Footings on Slopes
Safety Factors in Foundation Design and Allowable Bearing Capacity
Student Exercise - Bearing Capacity
Student Exercise - Footing Settlement
How field data are used.
Alternates considered.
Analysis methods used.
Information presented in Foundation Report.
FOUNDATIONS ON DIFFICULT SOILS
Introduction
Definition and types of collapsible soil
Physical parameters for identification
Procedure for calculation collapse settlement
Foundation design in soils not susceptible to wetting
Foundation design in soils susceptible to wetting
Case histories of stabilization of collapsible soil
Expansive soils
Laboratory measurement of swell
Classification of expansive soil based on index tests
Foundation considerations for expansive soils
Liquefaction
Expansive soils, heave prediction
Soft clays
SOIL IMPROVEMENT
Correction for compaction of soils with oversized particles
Field compaction
Compaction control for clay hydraulic barriers
Vibroflotation
Precompression
Sand drains
An example of a sand drain application
Prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs)
Lime stabilization
Cement stabilization
Fly ash stabilization
Stone columns
Sand compaction piles
Dynamic compaction
Shallow foundation bearing capacity improvement using geosynthetics
Forum and general discussion
Instructor:
Dr. Gamal Abdelaziz, P.Eng, MSc. has a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
Currently he is a senior geotechnical engineer and adjunct professor at Ryerson university, Toronto, Ontario. He has over 22 years of experience in geotechnical and structural engineering, foundation design, teaching, research and consulting in Canada and overseas.
Dr. Abdelaziz is a former adjunct professor at University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada , visiting professor at Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada and part time professor at Seneca College, Toronto, Canada.
Dr. Abdelaziz is specialized in numerical modeling for solving sophisticated geotechnical engineering problems with respect to pile foundation and the linear and nonlinear analysis of soil-structure interaction. He designed charts to predict pressures acting on tunnels, and developed analytical model for pile bearing capacity prediction.
Dr. Abdelaziz authored a number of technical papers and delivered numerous internal and external workshops on various geotechnical and Municipal engineering topics. Dr. Abdelaziz has been involved in a number of projects in Canada and overseas, such as tunneling, silos, buildings, retaining structures, siphons, irrigation networks and many other civil engineering projects in terms of design and construction.
Dr. Abdelaziz is a member in different professional societies such as APEGGA, PEO, CGS, CDA, TAC and ABPA. He is also a reviewer for the Canadian Geotechnical Journal.

Prerequisites & Certificates

Pre-Requisites

None

Certificates offered

1.2 CEUs / 12 PDHs

Cancellation Policy

If you wish to withdraw from a course, you must advise us, in writing, including the official receipt. Our policies regarding refund are:

More than fifteen business days in advance: a full refund minus $50.00 administration charge.

Fifteen or less business days in advance: a transfer to another course or a credit, valid for one year, to another GIC course can be considered. Credits are transferable within your organization.

If the course has been running for more than 2 weeks, or after the course has started, an 80% credit towards another GIC course may be considered, if notice is received before the start date of the second session. After this time, no refunds or credits will be issued. If a speaker is not available due to unforeseen circumstances, another speaker of equal ability will be substituted.

GIC reserves the right to cancel or change the date or location of its events. GIC's responsibility will, under no circumstances, exceed the amount of the fee collected. GIC is not responsible for the purchase of non-refundable travel arrangements or accommodations or the cancellation/change fees associated with cancelling them. Please call to confirm that the course is running before confirming travel arrangements and accommodations.